The Quest for the Companion
by LaughalotMags
Summary: The Avatar's Companion was specifically made by the very first Avatar to help him/her succeed on all his/her quests. They are always born at the same time, but in separate places, so they do not always meet. So the question is, will Avatar Aang meet his Companion? Begins during season 2
1. The Dream

**Avatar: The Last Airbender**

**Book 2: Earth**

_**THE COMPANION**_

_**Chapter 1: The Dream**_

Aang was at the southern air temple again he was looking for someone but he didn't know who. Then he heard a soft voice humming a sweet melody. He followed the melody until he arrived at the room where all the statues of his previous lives were. Aang started to search the room for the source of the sweet song but couldn't find it and eventually gave up.

Soon after he gave up the search, he heard sweet, melodic laughter and a voice say, "If you're going to give up that easily then how are you going to find me silly?" It was a feminine voice and she spoke as if they were playing a game.

Aang looked around for the source of the sweet voice that sounded so familiar to his ears. "But I can't find you. Who are you? Do I know you?"

He heard the girl laugh and say, "Of course you know me! You know me very well in fact. You just don't remember me." Then, as if she appeared out of thin air, she manifested herself right in front of him with a smile on her face that could light up the whole room. "It's time for us to meet again Aang. Begin your search for me and I will meet you half way there." At this she smiled, put her hand to his face and said, " My you haven't changed a bit have you? Well, except for learning waterbending of course." Then she laughed again and then sighed. "It's time for you to go back now Aang. Your friends will be awakening soon and it's time for you to begin the search for me."

"What do you mean? How will I find you?" He was certain he knew this girl, but how could he? He had no memories of her and yet she said he knew her well. He couldn't help but stare at her. She was absolutely gorgeous! She had long flowing black hair that seemed to reach down to her lower back, and a beautiful figure. She was wearing a long flowing white dress and had the fairest skin he had ever seen. Her smile was radiant and her eyes were a beautiful green color. They seemed to show what she was feeling and he couldn't help but trust her. He felt a sort of bond with this strange girl and knew he had to find her.

"The bond that connects us will help you find me. Don't worry you'll find me." She smiled sweetly and Aang couldn't help but smile back. "It's time for you to go now Aang. The sun is coming up and your friends will be ready to leave." She turned away and started to leave the room.

Aang grabbed her wrist to stop her and asked, "Wait! What's your name? Why can't you come back with me?"

She smiled at him and replied "You already know my name, and I'm only here in spirit right now. Once we meet in person we can talk more. Now you have to go. Goodbye Aang. I'll see you soon." She smiled at him one more time, then left.

Aang woke to find Sokka and Katara getting ready to leave. Katara turned around and walked up to him smiling. When she got to him she helped him up, then gave him a hug. "Hey sleepy head! It's time to go. I was just coming to wake you up."

"Yeah we definitely have to go! But we have to look for a girl with long black hair and green eyes. We'll finish looking for an earthbending master after we find her." Aang's tone was more urgent and serious than she had ever hear, so Katara didn't protest. Once everyone was on Appa, Aang yelled, "Appa, yip yip!" With absolutely no idea where they were going or who they were looking for, they set off on their quest to find the mysterious girl with the green eyes and black hair.


	2. A Familiar Stranger

**Avatar: The Last Airbender**

**Book 2: Earth**

_**THE COMPANION**_

_**Chapter 2: A Familiar Stranger**_

As they were flying on Appa, Aang was thinking about the girl in his dream. Why had she seemed so familiar? How could he possibly know her when everyone he once knew is dead? Katara could see he was troubled and went to ask him what's wrong. "There's something on your mind isn't there." He was startled by her voice when she brought him out of his thoughts. "Whatever's been bothering you Aang, you can tell me," she told him with a reassuring smile.

"Or you could just stay quiet. The ride's actually quite peaceful without all the talking, and whining," Sokka remarked. Katara glared at her brother and then Momo flew up to him and Sokka started arguing with him for some strange reason. But hey, that was one of the many reasons she loved her brother.

"Ignore him. Please tell me what's wrong. You haven't been the same since we left the southern air temple. Did something happen?" She asked very concerned.

"Well, I guess. I mean, I'm not completely sure what happened." Aang began. "Last night, I had this sort of vision. The girl I told you we have to find, the one with the green eyes and long black hair, she told me it was important that I find her _**again**_. So, if I've met her before, then why don't I remember her? And why is it so important that I find her? But above all, how is she still alive?

Katara was silent for a moment. Then she told him, "I can't give you those answers Aang. But I bet she can. So, we're going to find her and you're going to get all the answers you need."

The one thing neither of them noticed however, was the missing member of their group.

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><p>Sokka was arguing with Momo, as usual, when he jumped up suddenly while yelling at him and lost his footing. He fell off Appa and started to yell on the way down. Exactly how high were they in the sky because now he was free falling down to the ground. <em><strong>FREE FALLING<strong>_! As he neared the ground, he thought to himself 'So this is it.' But then, he was stopped. Something cushioned or stopped his fall.

He opened his eyes to see that he was stopped in midair, then the strange force that was holding him in midair, slowly took him to the ground and set him down gently. When Sokka stood up, he heard a giggle from behind the trees and quickly turned around and took out his sword. What he saw surprised him. It was a girl around Aang's age dressed in a simple green gown that matched her eyes. She had long black hair and seemed to be beautiful without trying.

The girl giggled again then said with a smile, "That was quite a fall you took there just now. It's a good thing I was here to stop your fall. Otherwise that landing could have really hurt." At that she laughed again.

"Oh you saw that huh?" Sokka groaned. "Well, It's not like I meant to- wait a second! You stopped my fall?" He gasped.

"Yes. And it seems like your friends haven't noticed your gone yet. We should let them know so they can come get you." She smiled sweetly then called, "Tiki! Could you please go alert Sokka's friends that he has fallen off Appa and they need to come get him?" The beautiful yellow bird flew off to go tell Sokka's friends he was missing. The girl watched the bird leave then turned back to Sokka to find his sword pointed at her.

"How do you know mine and my friend's names?" He looked angry and tried to be threatening, but the only response he received from the strange girl was a humored smile and a small laugh.

"Now now now, no need to get all worked up is there? Tiki is my friend. She's going to alert your friends that you fell. And by the looks of it, she succeeded because here they come." Both she and Sokka looked up to see the giant form of Appa descending from the sky. The mysterious girl told Sokka "Do you really want your friends to see you with your sword pointed at an innocent young girl?" At that she smiled, then turned and walked away only to stop at the trunk of a tree and lean against it. Her bird, Tiki, returned to her and he heard her say something to it like, "You did very good girl," or "I'm so proud of you. And so lucky to have you" All the time smiling at her bird and stroking it affectionately. Then she lifted her arm and let it fly away.

Soon after her bird left, Appa landed and Katara jumped off and ran to Sokka. "OH MY GOSH SOKKA! I am so sorry we didn't notice you were gone! Although, I had begun to wonder why it had become so quiet," she said with a laugh. Sokka couldn't help but laugh at that too. "What about you Aang?" When he didn't answer she turned around and asked him again, "Aang?" But Aang wasn't listening. His mind was focused on something else. So, Katara followed his gaze and saw he was staring at some girl leaning against a tree.

"You." he said

"Me." Was all she replied.

"Who are you?" Katara asked.

"Ask Aang. He knows." She said with a mix between a sort of satisfied and proud smile.

Katara looked at Aang for the answer, and as he stared into the strange girl's familiar green eyes, only one word came to his mind and out of his mouth. "Ananda. Her name is Ananda."


	3. A Distant Memory

**Avatar: The Last Airbender**

**Book 2: Earth**

_**THE COMPANION**_

_**Chapter 3: A Distant Memory**_

Katara and Sokka looked at Aang with surprise and confusion written on their faces. "H-How did you know that Aang?" asked Katara.

"Because he knows me," replied the girl, Ananda. Everyone turned to her to see that she was smiling. She stood up from her leaning position on the tree and slowly started walking toward them. "Yes my birth name is Ananda, meaning spiritual bliss. But I also have many other names. Aang had a special nickname for me, didn't you? Do you remember what it was?" She was smiling brightly, but you couldn't quite tell what kind of smile it was.

Everyone looked at Aang waiting for him to answer. He just stared at Ananda. "No, I don't remember giving you any nickname. I don't even remember meeting you!" he exclamed.

"But I look familiar to you, do I not?" She kept walking closer and closer. "You recognize me, especially when you look into my eyes, am I wrong?" She was wearing a smile of satisfaction by this point. "Come on Aang. Give it a go." She was now standing right in front of Aang. She looked him in the eyes, got right in his face, and wispered, "What was my nickname?" Then she backed up to wait for his answer.

He wanted to say he didn't know what she was talking about. But then, some sort of vision, or flashback hit him.

_It was him and Ananda sitting together, laughing and joking around. "You always know exactly how to cheer me up don't you Erity?" Aang told her with a laugh._

_She looked at him smiling, and said "That's because I know you!" She said with a laugh of her own. "And why did you just call me Erity?"_

_Aang smiled at her and said, "It's my new nickname for you. It means one who's special." He told her with a sweet smile and wink._

_She was surprised that she would be given such a nickname. "Oh no! There's nothing special about me." Then she looked down at the ground. _

The vision ended and Aang looked at her. She was smiling like she knew what he just saw. "I called you Erity, meaning one who's special."

"Very good. So your memories are coming back." She sounded excited and everyone looked at her strangely.

"What memories?" Everyone asked at the same time. "You know, it doesn't even matter because we have to get going." Sokka told her.

"Really? Why? Where are you headed?" She asked them.

"We're looking for an earthbending master to teach Aang earthbending." Katara told her. She had a strange sense she could trust this girl. Besides, she looked like the girl Aang described. Long black hair, green eyes, but she wasn't wearing a white dress.

"Katara! Are you insane! What if she's fire nation!" Sokka yelled, freaking out.

"Sokka stop it! You could offend her!" She whispered to her brother, scolding him. "Sorry about my brother." She told Ananda.

But Ananda just smiled and gave a small laugh. "It's okay. Don't worry about it. I can understand why he wouldn't trust me. But it's getting late and you guys need to rest. I have an inn just beyond these woods. You all could stay there if you'd like." She smiled sweetly, "I was just about to make dinner when Hachi told me an odd creature was flying above the woods and someone fell off."

"You know, as nice as that is, I think it'll be safer if we pass on your generous offer." Sokka told her.

"I have meat." She said.

Sokka's eyes lit up at that. "You know guys, I think we can trust this girl! Now let's go get some of that meat!" Then he ran toward the trees but was stopped by Ananda.

"Hold on Sokka!" She said laughing. "It's almost dark, and you don't even know the way there! Just follow me." And with that, she guided them in silence through the woods toward her inn.

Katara finally broke the silence when she asked her, "So, who exactly are you? How do you know so much about us? How do you know Aang?"

She didn't stop walking, she just smiled and gave the waterbender a simple answer. "You'll get all the answers you're searching for after dinner." Then, they emerged from the woods and gasped at the sight before them.


	4. Dinner

**Avatar: The Last Airbender**

**Book 2: Earth**

_**THE COMPANION**_

_**Chapter 4: Dinner**_

At first they thought their eyes were playing tricks on them. They had to blink a few times before they realized that what they were seeing was real. Ananda laughed at their expressions. "I see you like the place no?" She laughed again then started walking forward toward the inn. Everyone else was just frozen in their places.

The inn was absolutely _**gorgeous. **_The sunset seemed to make it glow, and it was surrounded by a beautiful garden. All the plants growing in the garden looked like they were on fire! The sight took their breath away. There were so many different colors splashed around and it looked like a beautiful painting of another world. It glowed with magnificence and it was hard to look away. Ananda had to snap them out of their trance by pulling them along.

"I'm sure you'll be here long enough to see it again!" She said with a laugh. "Now, let's go in and get some dinner. Once we're all finished eating, everything will be revealed." She smiled kindly at them, then turned to lead them inside when Aang noticed something on her arm.

"Wait! What's that on your arm?" He asked her.

She looked down at her arm and noticed her sleeve had moved up just enough to get a glimpse of one of her tattoos. She quickly pulled her arm away and fixed her sleeve. "It's nothing!" She told them.

"That's not nothing." Katara stated, and she reached for Ananda's arm. But Ananda shrinked away.

"I told you you'd get your answer's after dinner!" She said rather harshly. Once she realized how rude she had been she immediately regreted it. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that so harshly. But I'll tell you about my mark later. Now we should go inside for dinner. The sooner we eat, the sooner you get your answers." With that, she turned to go.

Katara and Sokka looked at each other, then looked at Aang hoping he knew what the strange marking was, and why it triggered such a strange reaction. "What? I may have strange memories of this girl, but I don't know what the heck those markings are!" Then, he too walked off leaving Katara and Sokka with no choice but to follow.

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><p>Katara was in the kitchen helping Ananda with dinner. "So, are you sure you know Aang? I mean, everyone he knows is usually dead by this point. He may not look like it, but he's actually-"<p>

"A hundred and twelve years old. Yes, I know." Ananda cut her off. "But he's definately the Aang I knew. He's an airbender right?"

Katara looked at her surprised. "Yes, but how did you-"

Ananda looked right at her and said, "I know many things Katara. How I know them is one of the answers you'll get after we finish eating."

"Alright then," Katara started, "in that case how about you tell me about your pets. Tiki and Hachi right?"

"Very good Katara. You've been listening." She told her with a smile. "However, they are not my pets. They're only my friends." When she saw Katara's confused look, she smiled and continued. "Animals don't belong to me, just like I don't belong to them. The animals here can come and go as they please. If they choose to stay with me, then they stay. If they choose to go, then they go. There are a lot of them around. You've only met two: Hachi, and Tiki." She finished with a smile.

"That's cool. But, Ananda, how do you get them to listen to you? To trust you?" She asked.

"That's another one of my gifts. Which I will tell you about after dinner." She told her with a laugh. "Now could you go wake up Aang and your brother for me and tell them dinner's almost ready?" She asked Katara very sweetly.

"Sure. Sokka's probably starving and eavesdropping on our conversation anyway." She laughed. Ananda laughed along with her. "Oh! just one more question. How did Aang come up with the nickname Erity for you? It sounds nothing like your name."

At this she smiled, turned to Katara and said, "I'm sure you'll be able to figure that one out for yourself eventually." Then she turned back and grabbed some plates to set out on the table.

* * *

><p>"Dinner's out!" Ananda yelled up to everyone.<p>

"They're on their way!" Katara yelled back, then turned to her brother. "Please be nice Sokka. She's an absolute sweetheart."

"She's a strange lady that lives in the middle of nowhere and offered us food, water, and shealter! You don't find that the least bit strange?" Sokka exclaimed.

"Some people are just like that." Aang said in her defense.

"Not during a war they're not." Sokka told him firmly.

"Look, I know you're not the trusting type Sokka, but I know we can trust this girl! She's definately on our side." Aang told him.

"And your basing that off of what? The fact that you had a creepy dream vision of her, and she claims to know you? You're the _**AVATAR**_! _**EVERYONE**_ knows you!" Sokka argued.

"Boys that's _**ENOUGH**_!" Katara yelled at them. "Whether this girl is fire nation or not, she's taking care of us! So we are going to go downstairs and enjoy the meal she took a lot of time to make for us!" Her expression was fierce and threatening. The boys looked at her, looked at each other, then got up and headed downstairs, both slightly afraid of what Katara would do to them if they didn't.

When they got down there, Ananda was sitting at the table waiting for them. "Please, take a seat." She told them with a smile. Everyone's mouth was watering at the sight of the food. There were so many different kinds. How she came accross this food, they didn't know.

"I'm sorry if I'm causing trouble between the three of you." She apologized.

"Oh no! You haven't caused any trouble at all!" Katara told her.

"I know you're lying to me Katara. I heard you all fighting upstairs. I'm sorry I'm making it so hard for you to trust me Sokka." She apologized. "But like I said before, you'll get all the answer's you seek after dinner." Then she smiled and continued eating.

"Why can't you just tell us the answers now?" Aang asked her.

"Because it's easier if I show you." And with that, the conversation was ended.

Once everyone was finished eating Ananda decided it was time to show them the truth. "Is everyone finished?"

"Yes." They all answered at the same time.

"Alrighty then. Follow me to the garden. It's there that you will get the answers you seek." With that, she left the room and the trio followed her. All of them both excited and scared to find out the truth.


	5. A Story from the Past

**Avatar: The Last Airbender**

**Book 2: Earth**

_**THE COMPANION**_

_**Chapter 5: A Story from the Past**_

They followed Ananda through the gardens again but this time they only had the glow of the moonlight and her lantern to show them the way. The garden was just as pretty in the moonlight as it was during the sunset. The flowers seemed to be decorated with silver thread, and the grass seemed to be glowing like the lantern was.

"How does it do that?" Sokka asked her.

"What?" Ananda replied.

"Glow. It looks like the garden is alive." Sokka told her in amazement.

She smiled and told him, "Did you ever consider that maybe it is alive?" Sokka looked surprised at that and backed away from the plants. Ananda laughed and told him, "Don't worry Sokka, they won't eat you, bite you, or harm you in any way." She laughed again, then continued on.

Finally, they reached a small clearing that contained a lake. "We're here. Please, sit." She told them as she motioned for them to sit around the lake. Once they were all seated, she sat accross from them, looked at each of them, and told them, "In order to know who I am and how I know Aang, you'll have to actually see it for yourselves."

"But how is that possible?" Katara asked her.

She smiled sweetly at Katara and said, "Many things are possible Katara. Just wait and see."

With that, she took her cover off so she was wearing a long white dress similar to the one Aang saw her wearing in his dream. The only difference was, this dress exposed her arms and back so you could clearly see the tattoos on them. The tattoo that wrapped around her right arm, was a design of swirls and other symbols that resembled air. Down her left arm was a similar tattoo. Only this one seemed to have flowers and other symbols that would be used to represent earth. Down her back, it looked like there were two threads interlacing each other. One seemed to have flames and other symbols to represent fire. The other looked like it had waves and other symbols used to resemble water.

They stared at her in awe. She looked absolutely magnificent! Her tattoos seemed to define her. Like they made her. She closed her eyes and looked at the sky. Then, she shivered, looked back down at the lake, blew on the surface of the glass-like water, and therefore causing it to ripple. When the ripples vanished, a strange scene was playing out before them.

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><p><em>A long, long time ago, the very first Avatar literally created himself a companion to help him succeed on all his quests. With the Avatar and his companion working together, the two were unbeatable. The Avatar first built her using the four elements, water, earth, fire, and air. Then, he entered the spirit realm to bring her to life. When his creation came alive, she looked perfectly normal. Like any human being would look. The only difference, she had four tatoos. One on each of her arms, and two running down her back. They seemed to represent elements that made her and bonded her to the Avatar. <em>

_Due to the fact he gave her life from the spirit realm, he created a spiritual bond betweent he two of them. He didn't know it at the time, but the Companion would be reborn along with the Avatar. The Avatar held the power of all four elements and the ability to enter the spirit world, whereas his companion was originally not ment to have any powers. However, somehow she came to develop them on her own. She had magic no one had ever seen before, many believed she was even more powerful than the Avatar. _

_Years after they had completed their quests, they were old, and the Avatar was sick and dying. His Companion was sitting right next to him and talking to him as he died. Then, right after he died, the Companion grew ill. "Wha-what's happening?" She asked herself. She was alive for about five minutes after the Avatar died, then she died as well. __Neither she, nor the Avatar knew that if the Avatar dies, his companion dies soon after. But, if the Companion dies, the Avatar lives on without him or her. _

_The Avatar himself discovered that many lifetimes later when he took a trip to the spirit realm. He discovered that both the Avatar and the Companion are reborn together, and the two will always be the same age. Also, if the Avatar is born a girl, the Companion will be a boy. If the Avatar is born a boy, the companion will be a girl. He also learned that they will always be born apart, and fate will decide if they ever meet. He was told that because the Avatar was the one to create her, he is also the one that destroys her in the end. This Avatar had not yet met his Companion, so he was rather confused by this. Then, a few days later, he met her and understood it all._

The scene then changed to a small town many years later. It looked like a family from the Earth Kingdom, and they had just given birth to a beautiful baby girl with strange tattoos.

_"What strange markings" The mother said. "Oh well. It just makes her all the more special." She said to her husband with a smile._

_"What should we call her?" Her husband asked._

_The woman thought for a moment. "Ananda. Her name will be Ananda" She replied with a smile._

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><p><strong>Sorry I haven't posted for a while. I've been sick and I've had A LOT of homework. Anyway, I honestly don't think this is one of the best chapters I've written, but the next one will be about her past with Aang. I'm not sure when I'll be able to post that, but I'll try my best. Again, sorry if you don't like the chapter, I'm tired, sick and busy.<strong>


	6. Ananda's Past

**I know I said this chapter would be about how she met Aang and stuff, but I decided to make that the next chapter. I hope you enjoy this one.**

**By the way, and this applies to all the chapters I've written, I only own the stuff I came up with. The non-original stuff is not mine.**

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><p><strong>Avatar: The Last Airbender<strong>

**Book 2: Earth**

**THE COMPANION**

**Chapter 6: Ananda's Past**

As the child grew, the parents knew their daughter was more special than they first anticipated. Sometimes, as a toddler, if she had a tantrum she would cause thunder and sometimes lightning. Other times she would get so upset the animals would go insane. They even noticed at around age four, when she would walk, wherever she stepped a flower would grow. Then, one day when she was seven, her mother grew deathly ill.

"Fix her! Daddy fix her!" Ananda cried to her father.

"I'm sorry honey. I wish I could but I can't." Her father was crying silently to himself.

"Come here darling." Ananda's mother called to her weakly from her deathbed. "Don't cry for me child okay? Wipe away your tears. There's a story I'm going to tell you. It's about a very special and very powerful girl."

"Really! I wanna hear it! I wanna hear it!" She exclaimed

"Well, one day a baby girl was born to two very loving parents. She was born with some very strange markings which was a sign that she was destined for great things." Her mother smiled lovingly at her and continued, "That baby girl was you Ananda."

Ananda stepped back, surprised at what her mother had just told her. "I don't like this story."

"As the child grew older,"

"MOMMY STOP!" The girl shouted. Her voice contained so much despair that it was hard for her mother to continue.

"she showed signs of great power." By this point her daughter was in tears, and her husband was letting the tears flow freely. "She may be safe for now, but in the future there are many who will search for her. They will want to take that power for themselves. There will be many who will want to abuse it. Promise me you won't let that happen. Promise me you'll take good care of it."

"I p-promise mama. But you're not gonna die!" Ananda sobbed.

"You can't stop death honey." Her mother let a few tears escape and tried to hide them from her daughter. But her daughter saw them and she started to glow, like literally _glow._

_"_I will _not _let you die mama. Not like this. I will **NOT**!" Her expression was fierce, and she said those words with such determination, that the ground shook and there was a sort of ripple that spread through the air. Then suddenly, the space between Ananda and her mother began to glow.

"What's happening!" Her father yelled. The concern shown clearly in his voice.

"It's okay dad." Ananda told him. Her voice had a very faint echo to it. It was calm and smooth and it sounded as if she was in a trance. "I'll fix mommy."

Her father was now panicking. "**ANANDA NO!** That kind of power can destroy someone!" He knew, it had happened before. He had never seen it, but he had heard of a man trying to heal his injured wife. He was able to save her, but he died from the amount of power and energy it took. That man had been experienced. Ananda was just a little girl! She had no experience!

Then, his daughter turned to him and the sight startled him. "Don't worry daddy, both me and mommy with be just fine." His daughter's eyes were glowing gold, and her tattoos began to glow the color of the element it was meant to represent. She walked over to him very gracefully, almost as if she were floating, hugged him, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Then she walked back toward her mother. The light in the center seemed to embrace her as well as his wife as it grew brighter and brighter. "I love you." She told them both.

"**NOOOOOOO!**" He yelled and lunged forward. But the deed had already been done. The act already completed. His wife was laying on the bed just like before. However, the color had returned to her skin, and her fever had broke. His wife had been healed! But what had happened to Ananda? Panic overtook him again as he searched around the room. Ananda was no where to be found. For days he and his wife searched everywhere, looking all around for their little lost daughter. Then days began to turn into weeks. Those weeks turned into months, and those months eventually turned into years. Ananda was gone.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**So, I'm sorry I haven't updated. I have had A LOT of homework. I can only continue the story when an idea hits me, so I hope one hits me soon. I'll try and have her and Aang meet up soon too.**


	7. A New Friend

**I only own the stuff I came up with. The stuff that I originally didn't have in my story is not mine.**

**I changed the very very end of this. Just the last paragraph.**

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><p><strong>Avatar: The Last Airbender<strong>

**Book 2: Earth**

**THE COMPANION**

**Chapter 7: A New Friend**

Ananda woke up in a strange place. It definitely wasn't her home. What exactly happened to her? "Mommy? Daddy? Hellooooo," she called out. Where was she? She got up and looked around at her surroundings. She was in a place covered with trees and plants. A forest maybe? Then she heard a growl from behind her. She spun around quickly and saw a huge creature that had the tail of a scorpion, and the body and head of a lion. She squealed, turned around and started to run.

She didn't know how fast or where she was running, but she knew she had to outrun the creature. How she did outrun the creature, she didn't know. But even after she was sure it wasn't chasing her anymore, she continued to run. She felt so scared, and alone. Maybe if she kept running she would find her way out of this endless forest. But just as she thought this, the scene around her shifted. and she was suddenly running strait for the edge of a **VERY** high cliff. She stopped herself just as she reached the edge and caught her balance just in time.

Once she had caught her breath, she looked down toward the bottom of the cliff. "Wha-?" She said to herself breathlessly. All she saw were clouds. She must be higher up than she thought.

"Who are you?" A voice asked from behind her. It startled her so much, that when she jumped and turned around, she nearly jumped right off the cliff. Then, as if on instinct, she immediately pounced on the person. He was a male around her age. He was bald and had arrows on is head, arms, and feet. She was studying him when he just barely choked out, "C-can't bre-breath."

That brought her out of her thoughts, and she realized she had pinned him down and was nearly strangling him. "Oh My Gosh! I'm so sorry! Here, let me help you up!" She quickly got up and offered him her hand.

"Thanks." He said slowly, eying her while he cautiously took her hand. "So, now I have two questions. Who are you and why did you just try to strangle me?" The girl tilted her head to the side, and he felt a sudden bond with the girl. He felt as if he had known her his whole life.

"I don't know why. I was wondering that myself." She told him slowly. "It was some sort of instinct I guess. But it's never happened before." Then, she looked him in the eyes and said, "Again, I'm _Really_ sorry," and he could tell that she meant it. "And as for my name, I'm Ananda. And you are?"

"I'm Aang," he told her. But his voice sounded distant, as if his thoughts were far away.

"Well, hello Aang. Pleased to meet you. Now, could you possibly tell me where I am?" She asked him. She was still studying the boy. She felt a tight bond with him, like they were tied together in some way.

"Yeah, you're in the Southern Air Temple." The Southern Air Temple huh? Well, how did I get here? She thought to herself. Aang voiced her thoughts by asking her that very question. "How did you get here?"

"I don't know. I was wondering that too." Now she was really confused. "What did you see?"

Aang thought for a minute then replied, "I don't know really. I was just walking out here to fly around on my glider, when you suddenly show up out of nowhere! You kind of just formed out of nothing."

"So, your saying I just appeared here. I wasn't here before?"

"No." He told her.

"Alrighty then, until I figure out how to get home, looks like I'm staying here." She told him. "Got a place I can stay?" She asked him politely.

"Uhhhhhh, yeah I guess." He told her kind of confused. "Come on. I'll take you to meet Monk Gyatso." He motioned for her to follow him.

"Alright!" She exclaimed. Ananda ran forward and grabbed his hand. "Lead the way!" She said very excited.

Aang was startled when she grabbed his hand. Why was she acting so familiar, so comfortable with him? Did she feel the bond too? But instead of showing his surprise, he just pulled her along.

* * *

><p>"OPEN UP!" *BANG BANG BANG* "LET US IN!"<p>

The group was jolted out of the visions by the loud, angry voice from outside. Ananda turned and gasped. "Oh No! No, no, no, no, NO! You guys have to go. You guys have to go **NOW**!" She yelled and jumped up. "Quick, follow me!" she told them on her way out. They trio got up and ran after her. She led them back into the inn and up the stairs. Then, she turned _into_ the wall and went strait through.

"Whoa! Does she expect us to be able to do that?" Sokka asked.

"I think so." Katara Answered her brother.

"Look, this chick may have a bunch of strange, mystical, weird abilities, but I don't! I'm not gonna walk into a wall on purpose!" Sokka yelled back.

"Yeah, you do it enough on accident." Katara told him with a smirk.

"That's right! Hey, now wait a minute, I-" But Ananda walked back out and cut him off.

"What are you guys still doing out here? We gotta get outta here now!" She ran over to them and started shoving them toward the wall.

"Look, I believe everything you said before. But we don't have a freaky, supernatural ability to walk through walls like you do!" Sokka complained.

Ananda just stopped and looked at him with a blank expression. "Well I should hope not. That'd just be weird." Then, Aang and Katara burst out laughing.

"He's weird enough already!" Katara told her through giggles.

Ananda started laughing too. Then she just pushed them through the wall. They weren't suspecting it and screamed. Then they appeared on the other side of the wall in a strange room and stood with their mouths agape.

"Whoa!" Aang was the first to break the silence.

"I know." Ananda replied with a satisfied smile.

"How..." Katara started.

"Well, it's not really a wall we just walked through. It's a trick I learned a while back. All I had to do was make it look like a wall. Then no one would even try to get in here!" Ananda explained.

"And where is here exactly?" Sokka asked, his voice a little shaky. They were all in a big room about the size of the entire upstairs floor. It was a dark shade of purple and made for a creepy/mysterious mood. There were a lot of jewels decorating the room. As well as a bed, some jewelry, books, incense, and a lot of other mystical, magical stuff. But in the center of everything, was a full-length mirror. It was brown and decorated in vines and flowers curling their way all around it and decorating in beautiful colors of green, pink, purple, yellow, blue, and red. It was also covered in beautiful gemstones. All of them were different and made it so beautiful. It was amazing! Breathtaking even!

"This is my room." She told them. Then she walked up to the mirror, closed her eyes, kissed two fingers on her right hand, and touched the red gemstone at the very top of the mirror. Then, she placed her forehead on the surface of the mirror and whispered something none of them could hear. Then she turned to them and said, "Alright. It's time for you all to go."

"Wait, what!" Aang exclaimed in shock. "I just got to see you again and now we're gonna be separated? AGAIN!"

"Yeah, we're not gonna leave you. You've helped us so much." Katara continued.

"Why don't you come with us?" Sokka suggested.

That surprised them all. "Well for one, you've been trying to get away from me from the very beginning. And two, I have to stay back and distract those guys." She told them all. "And besides, you don't need me anymore. I was just the little push you needed. Now go find yourself an earthbending master!" She smiled at them.

"Now, in order for you all to escape, I need you to come here." She told them, beckoning them forward. When they were all in front of her she looked at them and told them, "Well, what are you waiting for? Jump in!" She said it like she expected them to know what the heck she was talking about.

"You can't be serious." Katara started.

"No way." Sokka continued.

"Oh come on. You'll go right through! See?" She told them as she pushed Sokka right through the mirror.

He screamed and once he realized he was fine, he turned to her and said, "And you wonder why I keep trying to get away from you!"

She just laughed and turned to Katara and Aang. "See? It's harmless! But it can get a bit confusing. Which reminds me! Hachi!" she called. Almost immediately her beautiful white dog came bounding up the stairs and into the room.

"That's a pretty dog. I've never seen one like her before." Katara told her.

"I know. No one has. She's the last of her kind. That blasted fire lord killed the rest of her kind. It's very sad. But she's go me to take care of her now. Isn't that right?" She said as she kissed Hachi's head. "Now, I need you to be a very good girl and guide my friends through the mirror so they make it to the other side okay?" Hachi licked her in response and she just laughed. "That's my girl. Now go on." and with that Hachi jumped into the mirror to join Sokka.

"Now, you two next." She started shoving Aang and Katara toward the mirror. Katara looked at her and said, "Just be careful, and join us soon okay?"

"Alright. Now go." She told them. Katara walked into the mirror. However, Aang was much more stubborn.

"I'm not gonna leave without you." He told her.

"Oh yes you are!" Ananda insisted.

"It's been 100 years since I've seen you! I'm not abandoning you again!" He exclaimed.

"Fine, fine, fine. I'll come in right after you." she told him. Then they heard the door break down, and they both glanced at the wall where they came in. "Hurry up!" she shouted.

Aang jumped into the mirror and turned around waiting for her to jump through. But she heard the footsteps running up the stairs and approaching her room. So, she looked in the mirror and told him, "I'm sorry," with a tear in her eye. "Go find you're earthbending master. I'll meet up with you along the way." she comforted him.

The last thing Aang saw was firebenders stumble into the room and run toward her. She screamed and tripped backward, knocking the mirror down. "No!" Aang shouted. The mirror shattered and his last view of her was a firebender standing over her ready to strike.


	8. Separated

**I only own the stuff I came up with. The stuff that I originally didn't have in my story is not mine.**

* * *

><p><strong>Avatar: The Last Airbender<strong>

**Book 2: Earth**

**THE COMPANION**

**Chapter 8: Separated**

"ANANDA, NO!" But it was too late. The mirror had shattered trapping their dear friend on the other side. He heard Hachi whimpering on the ground over her lost friend.

"I'm sorry Aang." He turned to see Katara crying. "I'm so sorry." Then her cries turned into sobs as she burst into tears.

"Why are you talking like she's already dead!" Aang yelled. Although it was more out of frustration, anger and sadness at the fact that he just lost his friend. He wasn't mad at Katara. "She'll be fine. Ananda's always fine. She's my Erity. My special one. She has to be alright." The last part he said mainly to reassure himself.

"No Aang, I don't think she will be." Sokka's words cut him like shards of glass. "I mean, you saw the firebender standing over her, and you heard her scream. We all did." His words hurt Aang. But Aang knew she would be alright. At least, he kept telling himself that.

"Come on Hachi, show us the way." The whimpering dog got up and began walking them through the strange land of mirrors.

* * *

><p>"Let her go." A familiar, and rather commanding voice told the two guards restraining her.<p>

"Thank you! Man you guys have a tight grip! I'm gonna have permanent bruises because of you!" She exclaimed. Then turned to face the man in charge. She almost laughed. This was no man standing in front of her. He was only a few years older than her. He had a scar on the side of his face, and looked both mad and determined. She let out a small laugh. "What's so funny!" He demanded.

"Your just a boy." She told him, the humor clearly heard in her tone.

"And you must be a very daring young girl to address me in such away." He replied. That however, only resulted her her laughing harder.

Once she calmed down she asked him, "So, care to tell me why you practically destroyed my inn?"

"We're looking for the Avatar, and we know you know where he is." He told her.

"Ah, just how I like it. Simple and strait to the point." She shot back. That earned her a slap across the face. But she only laughed. "I'm afraid you're in the wrong place monsieur. El Avatar no está aquí." One of her favorite things to do is confuse people by using a bunch of different languages. "hvorfor i alverden skulle man tro, han ville være her?" That earned her another slap across the face. She laughed again. "If you wanted me to translate, all you had to do was ask." She laughed at them.

"What did you say little witch!" The man with the scar shouted at her.

"Hahaha! What makes you think I would know where the Avatar is?" She asked them innocently.

"Because his Bison is in the barn." He replied.

Her heart lept with panic but she didn't dare let it show. She sent a mental message to Appa. Having a connection with all creatures is really good sometimes. _"Appa, you need to leave. Aang, Katara, and Sokka had to escape quickly. You'll see them again at one of the earth kingdoms. Maybe even sooner. When I have time to tell you which one I'll let you know. Just leave! NOW!"_ She could sense Appa leaving and knew he had gotten the message. So, she faced the strange boy again and just told him, "There's no bison in my barn."

"Yes there is! We saw it!" He yelled back.

"Well look again. I'm sure it's empty."

"You! Go outside and check." He told one of the soldiers. When the soldier came back and reported that there was nothing there, the scarred boy became VERY angry. "I don't know what you did little witch, but I know the Avatar was here. So, now your going to tell me, Where. Has. He. Gone."

"Yeah? And what if I don't feel like it. More importantly, what if I don't know?" She sassed him.

"Oh, I know you know. So tell me, where did he go?"

She sighed. "Alright. I'm not gonna lie to ya. When they heard you coming they ran inside and jumped through that magical mirror that you all broke." She told him

Everyone just stared at her. "You think this is a joke? We can force the answer out of you!"

"By all means, kill me."

"Now why would we do that?" He replied with a smirk. "You could prove to be very... _useful_ as a captive." He said looking into her eyes, as well as everywhere else. All the men laughed.

That made her angry. "I am not your pet!" She yelled at them.

"From this moment on you are." He laughed and reached out to grab her. In return, she bit his hand. "Why you little-" But she cut him off.

"I have a name you know! It's Ananda. At least call me by my actual name." She told them all.

"Very well. In that case, my name is-" Again he was cut off.

"Prince Zuko I know." She told him.

He was shocked. "How could you know that?" This girl treated him with so much disrespect even with the knowledge that he was a prince.

"You made the mistake of looking into my eyes." She told him while looking him strait in the eyes.

"That's impossible. You must have just recognized me."

"That's possible. But be careful of who you make eye contact with Prince Zuko. For some people, staring into one's eyes tells them everything about that person. Your worst fears, your strengths, your weaknesses, and your girlfriend, Mai correct?"

His head snapped up and he looked right at her. "How did you-"

"I can see who you are Prince Zuko, and this is not you."

* * *

><p><strong>Monsieur <strong>French, meaning: Mister, or sir

**El Avatar no está**** aquí** Spanish, meaning: The Avatar isn't here.

**hvorfor i alverden skulle man tro, han ville være**** her?** Danish, meaning: Why on earth do you think he'd be here?


	9. Visions

**I only own the stuff I came up with. The stuff that I originally didn't have in my story is not mine.**

* * *

><p><strong>Avatar: The Last Airbender<strong>

**Book 2: Earth**

**THE COMPANION**

**Chapter 9: Visions**

"Are we there yet?" Whined Sokka for the billionth time. Katara and Aang just groaned in response.

"Sokka, could you _please_ stop asking that every five minutes?" Katara asked her brother as nicely as she could manage.

"No! Aang's little girlfriend nearly got us killed and now she's got us trapped in some strange house of mirrors! I'm gettin' pretty creeped out, tired, and annoyed!" Then he looked to the dog. "You! You're supposed to be our guide! Are you gonna guide us or not?"

"Don't yell at Hachi!" Katara yelled at her brother while running to kneel beside the dog. "She's doing her best Sokka. Just because you're miserable doesn't mean you have to make all the rest of us miserable!"

"Will you guys stop it!" Aang shouted at them. "First of all, Ananda is NOT my girlfriend. Second, we're all tired and we all want to get out of here. But we just have to patient. It's like a mirror maze. That's why Erity gave us Hachi. Hachi has a really good sense of direction. She can find the way out."

"Hey, why do you keep switching her name like that?" Katara asked him.

Sokka agreed, "Yeah, you've been doing that a lot recently."

They both looked at him confused and waiting for an answer. He just replied, "Really? I hadn't noticed."

"Aang, how can you not notice? You've been switching back and forth from her real name to her nickname since we entered this world of mirrors. Whenever she comes up in the conversation you always change what you call her." Katara's eyes showed kindness, concern, and caring.

"I guess I'm just worried about her. I can't believe of all the things to forget I forgot her. She was such a big part in my life, and I just got her back only to lose her again."

Katara walked up to him and hugged him. "Hey, don't worry. We'll get her back. Besides, she seems pretty strong willed. I'm sure she can handle herself." Katara laughed, but that sentance sent Aang back about one hundred years.

* * *

><p><em>"How is it you always manage to get us into trouble?" Aang asked her breathlessly. But he just laughed along with her.<em>

_"I don't know, the trouble just seems to find me." She laughed. She was absolutely glowing with excitement and happiness. She loves the thrill of it all. Apparently she's used to getting into as much trouble as she can. She loves to take risks. _

_"One day you're gonna get us both killed." He smiled at her. "Are you sure that thing's not still following us?" He asked her, worry clear in his voice._

_"Yeah, of course!" She reassured him. "We outran that thing about a mile back." Then they heard a growl from behind them and turned to see the creature running toward them. "Run!" She yelled with enthusiasm._

_"How are we gonna lose this thing?" Aang asked her._

_"It'll give up soon." She told him confidently._

_"Ananda, it hasn't given up for TEN MILES! Why would it give up now?" He was getting really nervous now, but she just laughed in response._

_"Because what it doesn't realize is, we're headed strait for the edge of a cliff." That got his attention. He looked forward and saw the end._

_He tried to pull himself free of her tight grasp, but her grip was too firm. "Are you insane! We'll be killed!" The panic was clear in his voice. She just laughed again._

_"Maybe!" She replied with excitement. "Would you rather fall and experience a little pain before death, or be torn apart piece by piece by that creature and tortured to death?" She asked him. The look in his eyes was all she needed. "That's what I thought. JUMP!"_

_They were plummeting toward the ground and she was laughing! Death was just below them. What could she possibly find funny? Then suddenly, the world shifted. Next thing he knew, he was laying on his stomach on the ground back home. He looked around warily, then cautiously got up. He turned to the girl and asked in a shaky voice, "Wh-what did you do?" _

_"Well, I think I just saved both our lives." She smiled. "Now come on! We better get back before someone finds us." She winked at him then took off. He waited a moment wondering what just happened and what she was keeping from him. Then he ran after her._

* * *

><p>"Arrest her!" Prince Zuko shouted. She didn't struggle, but she did chuckle and look at him again.<p>

"Oh Prince Zuko. Silly, silly Zu Zu. Do you honestly think you can keep me tied up? Do you really think I won't be able to escape?" He was stunned into silence. How did she know that name?

"Don't let her out of you're sight. She's coming with us." He told the guards. They reached for her but she wouldn't let them touch her.

"It's okay, I have legs. I can walk myself." She smiled at them with so much kindness and understanding that they couldn't help but smile back.

When they got back on the ship, Prince Zuko guided them down a lot of different corridors. Then they came to a stop in front of a metal door. She made a sort of hissing sound and they all turned to her. "What? What's wrong?" Zuko asked. She could sense concern in his voice, but she was too preoccupied by the pain. Zuko turned to the guards. "What did you do?" He was furious that they would harm the girl without her preforming any sort of assault on them. It was dishonorable.

"We didn't touch her sir." Then she cried out in pain and fell to the ground.

She began to cry and yell, "So much fire! So much! The earth is burning! The sky is on fire! Ash is EVERYWHERE! So many screams, SO MANY!" Then she gave a blood curdling scream. Everyone on the ship had to cover their ears. And then, she was still.


	10. Ghosts

**I only own the stuff I came up with. The stuff that I originally didn't have in my story is not mine.**

* * *

><p><strong>Avatar: The Last Airbender<strong>

**Book 2: Earth**

**THE COMPANION**

**Chapter 10: Ghosts**

Ananda woke up and groaned. She _HATED_ having visions. Some were okay, but the severe ones left her tired and worn out. She usually had a headache afterward too. Then the feeling struck her. Something wasn't quite right. But as she was looking around the room, she couldn't find anything out of place. Then she looked down. "OH!" she exclaimed. She was floating above her body. She was a spirit looking at herself sleeping peacefully on a bed. It's funny, she didn't even remember being moved. "It must have been those nice guards." She smiled and tried to focus on returning to her body. However, there was some sort of sheild preventing her from entering. "That's weird." she said to herself. This hardly ever happened and whenever it did, she was always able to return. Instead of panicing though, she just shrugged and went exploring.

The first place she went was to check on Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Hachi. She needed to know if they were okay or not. As soon as she thought of them, her spirit or whatever was suddenly in the world of mirrors with them. "Aang are you okay?" she heard Katara ask.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just another memory." he told her. "But you know, the thing that bugs me the most is, she played such a big part in my life, and I can't even remember her. Why can't I remember her?" He asked Katara, looking strait into her eyes.

"I don't know Aang. You'll get you're answers once we find her again." She told him. Ananda smiled at the two. She always knew Aang liked this girl. He could never hide anything from her. She had always been able to read him like an open book. At first she was sad, but then she was happy for him, for both of them. Katara didn't like him back yet, but she didn't need a vision to tell her that in time, she would.

"We all come to love Aang eventually." She said to herself kind of sadly. Then Hachi came up to her. She should have known Hachi would be able to sense her. She is a dog after all. She smiled and knelt down to stroke her dear friend. "Hey girl," she said in a gentle, soothing voice. "Are you lost?" The dog whimpered in reply. Ananda smiled at her and reassured her. "Don't worry girl, I'll get you all out. You did so good." Then she kissed the dog's head, and that set the dog off. She barked, whimpered, then laid down and began rolling around.

"Uh, guys? Something's wrong with Hachi." Sokka told them.

The two came running over to see what was wrong. "Sokka, what did you do?" Katara accused.

"Nothing! Why do you always blame me?" He yelled at his sister.

Aang just knelt down next to the creature and pet her. Then when he looked up, he saw Ananda! He was so relieved, he wanted to just run and hug her. But she just looked at him with a sly grin on her face and put a finger up to her lips, signaling him to keep quiet. Then she winked at him and knelt down next to Hachi.

"She'll be alright. Just give her a minute." Aang told his friends. Sure enough, Hachi recovered within a few seconds. "See? All better."

"Good. Now lead us outta here!" Sokka told her. The dog just growled at him and he backed down. "Sorry, sorry! Can you _please_ lead us outta her?" He asked kind of sarcastically.

"Come on Hachi," Ananda told her, "let's lead them out of here." She smiled at her dear friend. Then they began walking.

As it turns out, they weren't that far from the exit. They only walked about five more minutes until they came to a mirror that showed them a small town in one of the earth kingdoms.

"Go on Hachi, keep them company until I can join you. Can you do that?" The dog tried to lick her, but she was just a spirit so it didn't work out too well.

Once everyone was out safely, Aang turned around and looked through the mirror. "Thank you Ananda." He saw an image of her smiling but it only lasted a second until it was gone. He just hoped she was okay. Then he and his friends turned to continue on their journey.

* * *

><p>*<em>knock knock knock<em>*

"Come on in." Ananda called in a sweet, welcoming voice. She was sitting at a mirror brushing her hair when Iroh walked in.

"Uncle Iroh!" She exclaimed and jumped up to give the old man a hug.

"I came to make sure you were alright. You gave us quite a fright before." His concern was very touching, but Ananda just shrugged it off.

"Oh of course I'm alright. I always am." But something about the smile she gave him told him she was hiding something, something sad.

"So, what exatly was that before?" He asked her.

She looked at him, completely serious. "Do you really want to know? Are you absolutely sure? Because even you are smart enough to know that a pain like that always means something bad."

He gazed back at her unsure at first, then certain. "Yes. What happened?" He asked concern still clearly present in his voice.

She smiled, then gestured for him to sit down. "Very well, sit down and I'll tell you." They both took a seat and she began.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**I'm sorry, I know this isn't my best chapter, but I'll make the next one better. At least I'll try. Reviews and stuff are appreciated, so a very big thank you to everyone who has:-) Also, let me know what you want to see happen in the story. I'm not completely sure where in season 2 I should have this pick up, so if you could give me some ideas that would be great:-)**


	11. Escaped

**I only own the stuff I came up with. The stuff that I originally didn't have in my story is not mine.**

* * *

><p><strong>Avatar: The Last Airbender<strong>

**Book 2: Earth**

**THE COMPANION**

**Chapter 11: The Escape**

"Ever since I was little, I've had these visions. Glimpses of the future. Some are very strong visions, and some are just minor. The minor ones are just quick glimpses into the near future. What I see in those usually happen in one to two days. The strong ones however, are violent and painful. They tell me what is to come in the distant future. These visions are rare, but they foretell things, usually terrible things. The one I just had was awful, absoluely awful."

"What did you see?" Iroh asked with concern.

"There was fire everywhere. I saw the earth burn. The sky filled with ash and fire. It was terrifying." She was shaking a little and a few tears escaped.

"The future can be changed, Ananda."

"Not what I see." She told him, sadness clearly present in her voice. "What I see always come true. No matter how hard you try, no matter what you do to change it, what I see ALWAYS comes to pass." Then she got a distant look in her eyes. It was almost painful to see her like that.

Iroh took her hands and looked into her eyes. She tried to look away but he wouldn't let her. "Please, I don't want to see."

"Why not child? You have seen into so many others."

"Because you've shown me kindness, and your past, it's so... painful." She choked out.

"Much like your's I believe."

Her head shot up. "How could you possibly know that?" She asked in disbelief.

"I noticed your marks. I've only read of them, but I know what they mean." She stared at him, shock written all over her face. "You are the Avatar's Companion." He said smoothly. "You are a very powerful creature. You have abilities some can not even imagine." She was frozen, unable to say a word.

"How could you possibly know this?" She finally managed to ask him.

"Why don't you look and see?" Iroh said. So she did. She looked strait into his eyes, and just like with everyone else, she saw his whole story. She saw him as firelord, and his greif when his son died. How he's cared for Zuko. It was painful, but now she understood him, just as she did almost everyone else.

She gave him a nod and simply said, "I see."

He nodded back. "Now, we must get you back to the Avatar. After all, after the Avatar and his Companion meet, the two need each other. For they are a part of each other.

* * *

><p>They had come up with a pretty good plan on how to get her off the ship. It wasn't too difficult. She just had to jump off the side of the ship. 'I've done worse things' she thought to herself with a shrug and a small laugh. She quietly crept to Prince Zuko's chambers. Her stealth was nearly inhuman. She knew he was still awake. She could sense him. So, she knocked on the door and he was completely stunned to see her standing there.<p>

"What do you want?" It was more of a demand than a question.

"Now, is that any way to treat a guest?" She asked playfully.

He seemed to calm down. Somehow her presence had that effect on him. It seemed to have that effect on everyone. All she had to do was flash them a smile and everyone in the room seemed to relax. "Are you well?" He asked a bit more politely.

"Yes, thank you for you're concern." She told him sincerly. "Anyways that's not why I'm here. I came to tell you thank you for all your help, but I have to leave now."

He just laughed in reply. "You think I'd let you leave?" He laughed again, "you're not going anywhere!"

She walked slowly toward him, her grace seemingly impossible. "I thought you'd say that." By now she was standing right in front of him, their faces just inches away. "Which is why you won't remember any of this." Then she kissed him. It was a gentle kiss that lasted about one to two seconds. As she pulled away, it looked as if she was pulling small tendrils of silver away with her. Then, she turned around and headed for the edge of the ship, leaving a sleeping Zuko behind her.

* * *

><p>"Guys, where exactly are we?" Sokka was SO glad to be out of that world of mirrors. But now they were lost. "Does Ananda know what she's doing? Cause I'm seriously starting to question her right now!"<p>

"Sokka, you've been questioning her since the moment you met her. Even after she saved your life, TWICE!" Katara yelled at her brother.

"Make that three times." Aang interrupted. They turned to look at him. "She helped Hachi lead us out of Mirror World." He explained.

Katara turned to her brother again and continued her lecture. "You're questioning a girl that's saved your life three times, fed you, housed you, and will probably show up again just in time to save you! Really Sokka? You're really that untrusting? Are you gonna turn on me next? Or Aang? Maybe he's not really the Avatar! Maybe he's fire nation!"

"He already accused me of that remember?" Aang cut in, trying to hide a smile and a small laugh.

"Exactly!" Katara was doing one of her learn a lesson things. She pointed her finger in Sokka's face, got really close, and almost growled, "So you need to learn to be a bit more trustworthy, or the next person staying behind and ending up dead might just be YOU!" She regretted the words as soon as they came out. She turned to Aang and saw that he was trying not to meet her gaze. "Oh! Aang, Aang I'm so, I'm so sorry! You know I didn't mean it like that!"

"It's okay." He told her. "You're probably right."

"Aang, you can't possibly think that!" She gasped.

"Why shouldn't I? I see her as a ghost, the last image of her was her being taken by the fire nation, and we haven't heard a thing from her since we got out! What do you expect me to think?" He was shouting by the end.

"I expect you to know that she'll be okay. She's survived over one hundred years hasn't she? She'll be alright." With that, she gave Aang a hug and a smile.

Then Sokka called back to them, "Hey guys! Is it just me, or do you see a town up ahead?"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**I'm having a bit of trouble with this story, so ideas would be helpful. I'd like to know what you want to see happen in the story. I'm not completely sure where in season 2 I should have this pick up, so if you could give me some ideas that would be great:-)**


	12. Old Friends and Old Memories

**I'm SO SORRY! I know I haven't updated in like, FOREVER, but it's because I have really bad writers block! I'm having trouble with this story and don't know where I should go with it. I need help. So any ideas would be appreciated and if they go along with the story, than I'd be happy to put them in. **

**Also, a special thank you to all my followers and reviewers! I love you guys! You're the reason I continue to update this story, and I'm so sorry I kept you waiting.**

**Disclaimer: whatever wasn't my original idea for the story is not mine.**

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Book 2: Earth

THE COMPANION

Chapter 12: Old Friends and Old Memories

"I'm telling you she has to go!" Monk Pasang anounced.

"We can't just send her out on the street!" Monk Gyatso replied. "Besides, you've seen how close she and Aang have become, the two have become inseperable, even a blind man could see it! We can't tear them apart, it would hurt both of them deeply, and it would just be cruel."

"We can send her to the Eastern Air Temple so when Aang is sent there to finish his training he will be able to see her. But until then, the girl poses as a destraction." Pasang continued.

Monk Gyatso replied, "Did you ever consider the fact that he might stop training if we seperate them?"

This question silenced Monk Pasang for a second. Then he replied, "She is only a girl, he will get over it."

"Pasang, I just don't think it's a good idea to-"

"The decision is final." Monk Pasang stated. "The girl will be sent away to the Eastern Air Temple."

Aang gasped and shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't lose Ananda, he just couldn't! He left quickly before anyone noticed he was there and ran/glided to find his Erity.

It felt like it took forever to find her, but he finally found her in her room. Oddly, she was packing her things, and wasn't the least surprised to see him.

"They want me to leave don't they." She stated without looking at him. For a minute all he could do was stare at her dumbstruck. How could she possibly know that? She wasn't there, was she? "It's okay, they don't have to worry about it. I'm already leaving." She told him.

It was like a stab in the chest to him. She was _leaving_! She couldn't just _leave_! But, like an idiot, the only thing that came out of his mouth was, "what?"

She just replied with a laugh and turned to face him. He could tell she had been crying earlier and knew this goodbye was hard for her too. "Silly silly Aang." She let out a small chuckle then continued. "You never really know what to say do you?"

"Why?" He asked.

She sighed and told him, "Well, the monks clearly don't want me around, and-"

"How do you know about that?" He asked, cutting her off.

"Know about what?"

"Their conference. I could have sworn I was the only one listening in. I don't understand how you know what they were discussing. Did they talk to you about it or something? And how do you always seem to know what's going to happen before it happens?" He needed to know how she always seemed to hold all the answers, how she seemed to always be one step ahead.

She sighed and looked down. "Aang, there's a lot you don't know about me, and right now I don't have enough time to tell you." She turned around again and continued packing.

"What did they say to you?" His voice revealed some hidden anger.

However, Ananda just continued to pack and remained calm. "No one told me. I just kind of... know." Before he could say anything, she turned around and looked at him and continued to explain. "Aang, you may not know everything about me, and I may not know everything about you. Right now all you need to know is that I have to leave. I'm pretty sure I've out-lived my stay here anyway and pretty much everyone besides you wants me gone."

He gave her an 'are you serious' look and said, "Are you kidding me? You are so popular among everyone here! Everyone loves you! The only people who want you gone are the monks, and I'm not really sure why."

At that she seemed to stiffen, like she did know why. But she quickly hid it and continued. "Aang, this is something I have to do. I was planning on leaving anyway. A few days ago I sensed something terrible is going to happen." She paused and looked him directly in the eyes. "It's going to happen _today_ Aang, and it's going to happen to my _family_." Her eyes were so full of pain and anguish that he had to turn away. She sighed and began to pack again. "They probably don't even know I'm alive."

That took Aang by surprise. He had never really talked to Ananda about her family because she always got so sad when they were mentioned. "What do you mean?" He asked her.

"I mean, the last time they saw me I was trying to heal my mom and began to glow really bright then disappeared completely."

"Wait, what? How did that happen?" He was really confused now.

"I don't know Aang. I may never know. But this is something I have to do. And I have to do it alone." She grabbed her things and headed out. As she passed him she gave him a big hug and continued on the way out.

When she reached the door she paused and turned to look at him. She had a mischeivious grin on her face and a glint in her eyes that was just asking for trouble. "Don't worry, you'll see me again." Then she left with a wink and a laugh, leaving no trace that she had ever been there at all.

* * *

><p>Aang woke up with a gasp. That's been the third night in a row he's been unable to sleep. He knew why too. His memories are coming back. His past with Ananda is becoming clearer and clearer by the day. He got up and decided to walk around for a little bit.<p>

While he was walking he had some time to think. So, that was the first time she left. But that couldn't have been last. It definately wasn't enough to make him forget her. From what he could tell, from his memories and his feelings now, he and Ananda share a special bond. He wouldn't just _forget_ her.

She's been missing for three days now, and the fact that the last image he saw of her was a fire nation soldier about to attack her, didn't make him feel any better. He looked up at the sky and asked, mainly to himself, "Ananda, where are you?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure she's fine." A voice said from behind him.

He was startled and jumped around. He was met with someone who he's always happy to see. "Katara! I'm sorry if I woke you up."

"It's okay, I wasn't sleeping very well anyway." She paused and walked up to stand beside him. First she looked down, then she looked up and said, "I'm worried about her too Aang." And they both just stood there in silence and understanding until Sokka woke up and walked over to find them.

"Hey are you guys hungry cause I'm hungry. I think we should go get something to eat."

"Sokka, is that all you think about?" Aang said with a smile and a small laugh.

"No! I think about plenty of other things too!" Then Appa made his large moaning noise and Sokka turned to him and shouted, "Well nobody asked you!" Katara and Aang just laughed and climbed on the back of Appa.

They looked down and noticed that Sokka was still on the ground. "Aren't you coming?" Aang asked kind of confused.

"Not until he apologizes." Sokka said, glaring at Appa. Aang and Katara looked at him and laughed.

"You know, if you stay here you won't get any food." Katara told him. "And that means no meat!"

Sokka groaned, "Alright." Then he glared at Appa again and said, "you win this round," and jumped on. The trio flew away laughing and having fun.

* * *

><p>She woke up lying on the beach and groaned. "Well, not the best night sleep I've ever gotten." After she streached she got up and began to walk around.<p>

She had to blink a few times to ajust her eyesight to the rising sun, but when she finally realized where she was, she gasped. "No!" She nearly fell down again in shock. Then, a huge smile spread across her face. "Ajay?" The boy turned and stared with confusion at first, then slight recognition. She walked forward some and asked him again, "Ajay, is that you?"

"Ananda?" He replied. His eyes were wide and he was obviously shocked to see her. "Ananda?" He said again.

She just laughed and hit him across the head. "Yes stupid, it's me! Gosh it's good to see you again!" She said, wrapping him in a tight hug. When she pulled back she continued, "Look at how much you've grown!"

Slowly coming out of his shock, a grin spread across his face as well. "Ananda! Look at you! Beautiful as always! And I should hope so! I mean, it's been almost five years! I would be worried if I hadn't grown, or even aged at all in that time! Ha ha ha!" His laugh was genuine and whole hearted.

"What's wrong with not aging? I've gone a hundred years without it and I think I still look pretty hot!" Both of them just burst into fits of laughter. Ajay was a boy she had met five years ago when she was traveling. "Five years...five years, lets see... That would make you around my age! Theoretically speaking, hahaha!"

"That's right! I turn twelve this month! Do you think you'll be able to stick around for the party?"

Her face fell. "Ajay, I don't know. Something big, and I mean REALLY big, has come up, and I just don't think I can." She was probably just as sad as he was because she loved him so dearly. He was like her younger brother.

He seemed to understand and after a moment of silence asked her, "So... did you find that guy?"

Her head snapped up and she looked at him with a mixture of shock and surprise. Then she felt herself blush and turn away. "What guy?" She asked all innocently.

"Oh ho ho! Don't you play that card with me! I know you to well!" He laughed then continued, "You know, the one that you're always talking about!" He paused for a moment and acted like he was deep in thought. "Let's see, what was his name? Aang right? He's supposed to be the Avatar or something?"

"Okay okay! Yes I found him! Are you happy now?" She just laughed along with him.

"So it's true? The Avatar has returned! But if you found him, then whered he go?"

She laughed, "we got separated I think yesterday, but I'm honestly not sure." He looked at her confused and before he could ask any questions she explained, "I helped them escape from the fire nation, then got caught by the fire nation, escaped, and next thing I know, I wake up on this beach. So, I'm not really sure how long I've been out.

He just smiled, "Always the sneaky one aren't you?"

"Would you love me as much if I weren't?" She teased back.

He laughed. "Of course! Now come inside, everyone will be so excited to see you! And who knows, maybe we can help you find Aang again."

He gave her one of his adorable smiles and she smiled back. "You know, that sounds great! Let's go! I'll race you in!"

"I'm gonna win!" He yelled at her.

"Oh no your not!" She yelled back as they ran up the hill laughing.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, this isn't my best chapter, but like I said, I have REALLY BAD writers block! If you guys have any ideas, PLEASE HELP!<strong>


	13. Meeting in the Market

**I only own the stuff I came up with. The stuff that I originally didn't have in my story is not mine.**

**Avatar: The Last Airbender**

**Book 2: Earth**

**THE COMPANION**

**Chapter 13: Meeting in the Market**

Ananda and Ajay were in the marketplace talking and laughing and just having a great time! "I dare you to buy it!"

"No way! Do you know how girly that looks?" He said to her.

She laughed and replied, "Um... I should think so. I am a girl after all! And that's kind of the point!"

"I'm not buying it!"

"You can't back out of a dare!"

"Sure I can! I can if it's a life or death situation!"

Ananda laughed at her friend. "And what makes this a life or death situation?"

Ajay looked at her seriously, but she could see the humor hidden in his eyes. "Right now I'm alive. If I buy that purse I'll end up dead. Do you know how many people would beat me up?"

The both started laughing. "Alright, I'll let you out of this one, as long as I can beat you up later!" Ananda told him.

"Oh ho ho! And what makes you think you can take me old lady?" He said with a smirk.

She just stopped and looked at him with a wicked smile and said, "That's it! Now you're gonna get it!"

Ajay darted away as quick as he could with Ananda following closely behind, both laughing hysterically until they had to stop to catch their breath. Once Ajay stopped Ananda tackled him down to the ground and they began wrestling. Anyone watching the duo would think they were fighting if it wasn't for their insane and unending laughter.

Eventually Ananda pinned him and began tickling him until he surrendered. "Alright, alright! You win! I surrender!" He said between breaths.

Ananda laughed as she got up then gave him a hand up. "You never change do you?" She said with a smile.

"Neither do you." Ajay said, his words clearly showing a double meaning.

With that, things grew silent between them. "You know that's not true. I've changed a lot in the past five years."

Ajay's eyes showed humor again and he just said, "Nah! Your still the same, fun-loving, trouble-making, exciting Ana that I've always known!"

Ananda was surprised at her new nickname, but thought it fit her nicely. "Where'd you come up with Ana? I like it," she told him with a smile.

"Your name is just really long!" He told her with a laugh, causing her to laugh too. Then he completely changed the subject. "So, you never told me how you escaped the fire nation!"

His interest made her smile and she told him, "Oh you know, the usual. I made a plan, took Zuko's memories, then jumped off the side of the ship."

Ajay just laughed, he knew just about everything there was to know about her, including her ability to take memories. "You, always kissing the boys aren't you," he laughed.

"I am not! I'm taking their memories!"

"But you still kiss them," he argued.

"That's how I take their memories you dweeb," she told him defensively.

"Okay, whatever you say," he told her, his tone hinting that he didn't really believe her.

"You know, how about I just take your memories too," she threatened.

"Does that mean I get a kiss too?" He asked playfully, closing his eyes and puckering his lips teasingly.

She responded teasingly with a smirk, "why not?"

Then she leaned in and gave him a kiss. It wasn't a meaningful kiss. It was just a playful and joking peck on the lips. She didn't take away his memories either because, let's face it, she couldn't survive without her Ajay and he couldn't survive without his Ananda. They both had a special bond, not like the bond she shared with Aang, but a special bond that was unbreakable They both pulled away laughing, but at that moment, Ananda heard a familiar voice yell, "Ananda!"

* * *

><p>Aang, Katara, and Sokka were walking through the marketplace when Sokka found a purse he wanted. He couldn't decide if he wanted to buy it or not and Katara and Aang were just waiting there, bored and uninterested in Sokka's inner conflict about buying the purse. Eventually Katara and Aang walked away. Sokka began to follow, but then he decided to buy it.<p>

Meanwhile, a man approached Aang and Katara, telling them to go to Master Yu for training. Katara said, "who knows, this could be the earthbending teacher you've been looking for." Aang was doubtful, but they went to the class anyway. He went to the class, but when he got out he said to his friends, "eh, he's not the one."

Then Aang overheard two boys talking about a man called The Boulder fighting his way through the best earthbenders in the world. He asked very politely where the fight was taking place, but they replied with a rude retort that Sokka found quite amusing.

"I'll take care of this," Katara told him. Then ran off after the boys.

"What was I thinking? I don't need a new bag! Why'd you let me buy this?" Sokka said.

Katara came running back and said "You ready to find an earth bending teacher? Because we're going to Earth Rumble 6!"

"How'd you get them to tell you?" Aang asked.

She replied, "Oh, a girl has her ways," and smiled.

"She certainly does!" Sokka said looking in the opposite direction.

Aang and Katara looked over and saw Ananda kissing some boy! Suddenly Aang felt very possessive of his Erity, and was about to say something when they pulled apart and started laughing.

Aang and Katara may have been too dumbstruck to say anything, but Sokka was obviously unfazed. "Ananda!" he called.

She turned and saw them. Immediately that heartwarming smile she always has appeared on her face. "Sokka," she called and waved, "Aang, Katara! I've been looking for you guys!"

"Yeah, sure looks like it." Sokka remarked sarcastically.

"How did you get here?" Katara asked her when she had finally gotten over the shock of finding her.

"It's a long story," she told them with a smile.

Katara just smiled and gave her a big hug. "It's so good to see you again! We were so worried!"

"Who's this?" Aang asked, immediately wanting to know who the strange boy he caught kissing his Ananda was.

Ananda turned and smiled, "Oh! Everyone, this is Ajay! He's a good friend of mine!" She told them excited.

"Yeah looks like it." Sokka said. Ananda turned and flicked him in the head. "Ow! Was that necessary?"

Then Ajay leaned in and whispered in Ananda's ear, "hey, is that the bag you tried to get me to buy?" She looked at the bag then nodded and they both began laughing.

The three friends gave the duo strange looks but then Katara said, "Hey, are you guys going to Earth Rumble 6?"

"Nah. They ban me from that place." Ananda told them. "Why? Are you guys?"

"Yeah. We're headed there now actually. We're trying to find Aang an Earthbending teacher." Katara explained.

"How did you get banned?" Sokka asked.

Ajay laughed, and Ananda punched his arm in response. "Ow!"

"It's a long story. It happened ages ago-"

"Five years," Ajay interrupted.

Ananda elbowed his side leaving him doubled over trying to catch his breath. "Look, it's nothing important. I just got into a little trouble the last time I was here that's all."

"Or a lot." He grunted. "And she dragged me into too!"

"Yeeeaahh. Sorry about that." Ananda told him looking guilty. "Anyway, we're both banned from the arena. But we'll hang around here and wait for you guys." She told them with a smile.

"I don't like that idea." Aang said quickly, glaring at Ajay.

Ananda sighed. "Aang, can I talk to you for a second?" She didn't give him a chance to reply. She just pulled him to the side for a "little" chat.

"Ok what the heck is wrong with you? Why are you being so hostile toward Ajay? He's a great guy!"

Aang simply said, "I don't like him."

"No, you don't like how close I am to him. Seriously Aang, I can have other friends."

"Of course you can have other friends. He just can't be your friend."

"Honestly Aang, do I act like this about you and Katara? I mean it's clear you like her and I'm not hostile toward her!" Then Ananda calmed down and in her normal tone added, "in fact, I rather like her. Great job!" She raised her hand for a hi-five but Aang didn't return it. She just sighed and looked down. "Look, Aang, Ajay is my best friend. There is nothing romantic going on between us and there never will be okay? But Aang, you act like this every time I make a new friend, whether it's a boy or a girl! We may be bound, but I am not a possession you can keep to yourself okay?" She looked at him with gentle and understanding eyes.

"How do you do it?" He asked her softly.

"Do what?"

"How do you not get jelous or possessive? The bond works both ways."

She smiled at him. "I do Aang. When I see you with others I get very jealous and possessive. However, unlike you I don't make it so obvious. I actually let you have other friends." They both gave a small laugh then hugged.

While they were hugging Aang told her, "I'm sorry."

She replied, "Me too." Then they let go and she looked at him with excited eyes. "Now, let's go find you an Earthbending teacher!"

"I thought you were banned?"

"And since when has that stopped me?" She laughed. He just shrugged and laughed at how true that was. Then they ran back over to their friends and the entire group began walking toward the arena.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry the chapter was slow and boring. Definately not my best. This chapter was really just for the characters to meet each other. The next chapter will be better!<strong>

**Next Chapter we get to meet Toph! Also, I have NO IDEA when I will be posting again because I have HORRIBLE writers block. I'll try my best though! Thank you everyone for your reviews and I'll try and make the next chapter better! I know this one was a bit slow. Sorry!**


	14. The Blind Bandit

**I only own the stuff I came up with. The stuff that I originally didn't have in my story is not mine.**

**Avatar: The Last Airbender**

**Book 2: Earth**

**THE COMPANION**

**Chapter 14: The Blind Bandit**

"It's too bad they can't sit with us," Katara said disappointed.

"Yeah, but at least they made it in," Aang replied with his cheeky grin.

Sokka simply said, "She scares me." Aang and Katara just laughed at him.

They continued walking until they found some open seats in the front. "Hey front row seats! I wonder why no one else is sitting here?"

As if on queue a boulder nearly hit and crushed them. "I guess that's why," Sokka said.

Some man rose up out of the middle of arena and said his name was Xin Fu. "This is just gonna be a bunch of guys chucking rocks at each other, isn't it?" Katara said sounding bored and uninterested.

"That's what I paid for." Sokka was really excited to see this. Throughout the fight his favorite was The Boulder. The Boulder seemed to be everyone's favorite. However, Aang and Katara both found it strange that he talked in third person.

Then Xin Fu introduced the champion... The Blind Bandit. Aang and Katara were both confused because she was just a little girl! A little blind girl at that! "She can't really be blind. It's just part of her character right?" Katara asked him concerned and curious.

But one look at her eyes and Aang knew that she couldn't see. "I think she is," he replied.

Sokka however, could care less if she was blind or not. He was rooting for The Boulder 100%. They watched the fight with interest. "The Boulder feels conflicted about fighting a young blind girl." The Boulder said.

"Sounds to me like your scared Boulder," she retorted mockingly.

Her comment disturbed him and he said, "The Boulder's over his conflicted feelings and now he's ready to bury you in a rockalanch."

The Blind Bandit didn't seem intimidated at all. In fact, she continued to provoke him. Then, Aang heard her laugh and instantly recognized it. This was the girl he saw in the swamp! This was the girl who was supposed to be his Earthbending teacher!

Aang watched the fight very closely. The fight didn't last long. She took out the boulder in two moves. Sokka was devastated. "How did she do that?" Katara asked while Sokka cried.

Aang smiled and replied, "She waited...and listened."

* * *

><p>"So, how are we gonna get in?" Ajay asked me after we had left our friends.<p>

"Easy. We create chaos." Ananda told him simply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Funny, isn't that what got us kicked out in the first place?" He asked her, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

She just gave him a sarcastic smile and replied, "Yes, but this time it's different." Then she turned and punched a random person in the crowd. She knocked the woman out cold! Then she quickly bent down to heal the bruise that was forming quickly on her face.

Ajay was shocked. "Ana what the-"

"Help! Help!" Ananda began shouting! "She fainted! Please we need help!" Immediately people began swarming, security included. Ananda stood up, grabbed Ajays hand, and they slowly worked their way to the back of the crowd. Once there, they ran for the doors. With the lack of security, they were able to sneak in with the crowd of people that wasn't swarming the unconscious woman.

"See? Simple," she told him with a smile. It scared him more than reassured him. "Come on! Let's sit in the back. I don't want to get hit with giant boulders again!"

"Really? That's what your worried about? Of ALL things!"

Ananda just looked at him and asked, "Well are you going to sit down or not?" Ajay just hung his head and shook it in defeat and took the seat next to her.

They watched the fights and she was rather impressed with the Blind Bandit. She was by far Ananda's favorite. "Alright you two, show time is over!" They heard a burly voice say from beside them.

"Yeah! You two are coming with us!" They looked over to see two security guards. One of which just so happened to be the same one that worked here five years ago when they got banned.

"Well..." Ananda began slowly and stood up, "time to go!" Then she grabbed Ajay and bolted. She vaguely heard Aang decide to challenge the Blind Bandit. But she'd ask him about that later. Right now they just had to run.

* * *

><p>So, fighting the Blind Bandit didn't go too well. She got really angry and just left without even talking to Aang at all. That's all he wanted to do in the first place. Jeez, why did this have to be so difficult!<p>

After the fight the trio began walking through the streets thinking of ways to find out who the Blind Bandit is. Well, two of them were. Sokka was a bit preoccupied. "I gotta admit, now I'm really glad I bought this bag. It matches the belt perfectly!"

"That is a big relief" Katara sarcastically told him.

"If we wanna find the blind bandit, then the Earthbending Academy is a good place to start," Aang told them.

They went in and talked to the two boys that they had seen earlier. They were pretty scared of Katara so it wasn't hard to get information from them. The two boys said the flying pig was the symbol of the Beifong family, so the trio decided to look there next. They were on their way to meet the Beifong family when two people ran in front of them. They were out of breath and kind of shocked to see each other.

"Oh! Hey guys!" Ananda said breathless. "Can't talk now, but if some big burly men come running by looking for us, we weren't here okay?"

"Um... Okay." Aang replied unsure and confused. And with that she took off running with Ajay in tow.

"Well that was weird." Katara said.

"What about her isn't weird?" Sokka asked. They all looked at each other and shrugged then continued walking.

* * *

><p>They arrived at the Beifong estate and their talk with the Blind Bandit, Toph they called her, didn't go well. And dinner, dinner went even worse. Aang and Toph basically fought the whole time. They were in the living room when Toph came in and suggested they call a truce and go for a walk.<p>

A few minutes after they left Ananda came rushing in, breathless and exhausted. She came to a sudden stop in front of the enterance to the living room. "Has Aang left yet?" She asked Sokka and Katara urgently.

The two looked up, startled to see her. "What? But you... how did you? What?" Sokka said confused.

"Has Aang left yet?" She asked again more urgently. This time the two sensed her panic and immediately became alert.

"Yeah. He's in the garden with Toph Beifong." Katara answered her. Ananda didn't stick around to chat. She ran as fast as she could to the garden, but by the time she got there they were already gone.


End file.
